In a field stacked with some of the toughest Pro Mod competitors in the world, Rian Hayward made a name for himself in his debut at the Drag Illustrated Winter Series presented by J&A Service. The Washington-based racer proved he belonged by battling through the eliminations in a true underdog story at the U.S. Street Nationals presented by M&M Transmission.
Hayward and his Code Blue Racing team entered the event with virtually no testing due to unpredictable weather conditions. Despite the lack of track time, Hayward put down a respectable 3.641-second run at 208.26 mph, securing the 29th spot in the ultra-competitive field during qualifying for the U.S. Street Nationals. During the highly-anticipated chip draw, Hayward drew drag racing veteran Jim Whiteley for the first round on Sunday.
“This weekend’s been absolutely amazing,” Hayward said at the event in his pit. “The atmosphere out here is just electric. It’s more than I imagined. Wes [Buck] does a great job hyping it up, but these guys are all killers. Coming from the West Coast, nobody knows who I am, and I’m standing next to all my heroes. It’s been amazing.”
With a 3.639 at 207.85 mph, Hayward eliminated Whiteley in the opening round. His Cinderella run continued when he lined up with PDRA Pro Boost standout Kurt Steding in the second round. However, Hayward advanced with a 3.647 at 207.45 mph. The next hurdle was Melanie Salemi in a quarterfinal matchup. Hayward laid down his best pass of the weekend of the weekend, which was his personal best as well, a 3.622 at 208.07 mph, to move into the semifinals.
That’s where his storybook run ended, as he faced U.S. Street Nationals event champion Ken Quartuccio, who ultimately took the win. But for Hayward, his performance was a massive statement to the Pro Mod world.
“WOW! Such a massive race I had the gracious opportunity to be involved in,” posted Hayward on social media after the race. “Made it to the semis (64 car field) bowing out to race winner… THE Ken Quartuccio Jr. Absolutely overwhelming the support I received… Thanks so much, [it] means the world!”
Hayward’s journey to Pro Mod began in Super Street and Super Pro racing before moving into Top Sportsman with an ex-Rickie Smith nitrous Corvette. Over time, he transitioned into Outlaw 10.5 racing, setting records and winning championships. In 2024, the team decided to shift from nitrous to boosted power, opting for a Pro Line Racing ProCharger combination in a beautiful 1969 Camaro, updated by Rickie Jones of RJ Race Cars and Quarter-Max.
“This car was originally a Top Sportsman car built in 2014,” Hayward explained. “We put my 959 nitrous motor in it and ran West Coast Outlaw 10.5, set some records, and won championships. Then we decided to move to big tires and Pro Mod. RJ Race Cars completely remodeled it for the new setup. We took it off the dyno at Modern Racing on Friday, made a couple of test hits on Monday, and then we were off to the races.”
With rain interrupting qualifying, Hayward’s team had to adjust on the fly. “We joke that I just close my eyes and hang on,” Hayward laughed. “Rickie Jones (RJ Race Cars) said it was going to be a number, and sure enough, the car responded immediately. It’s taken everything we’ve thrown at it.”
Rickie Jones is a highly respected chassis builder and tuner at RJ Race Cars, one of drag racing’s most respected chassis builders, which has recently been acquired by Clyde Scott, Pro Mod racer and owner of Xtreme Raceway Park in Ferris, Texas. It had been a few years since Jones tuned a car, but he played a key role in Hayward’s success throughout the weekend.
And when it came to the chip draw format, Hayward felt the pressure. “Out here, there’s no ducks. So, I’m the duck,” he said, laughing. “I’m not used to that. The West Coast has great racers, but I’m usually not the one people want to draw. Here, I just looked around thinking, ‘I don’t want to draw anybody.’”
Despite that, he went toe-to-toe with some of the best, proving that Code Blue Racing is a team to watch.
Hayward’s wife, Kristen, plays a significant role in the team’s success. “She started in 2017 saying she wasn’t going to be the sandwich maker,” Hayward joked. “Now she’s up there putting me in the beams, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Looking ahead, Hayward confirmed that he’ll be back for the World Series of Pro Mod at Bradenton Motorsports Park. “I think I still have an invite,” he said. “So, for sure, I’ll be back. I’m leaving the rig parked here. Vic’s [Alvarez] got me a nice spot all picked out. We’ll be back in five weeks and hopefully hit it harder.”
This story was originally published on February 7, 2025. 
